It’s true that you can see and explore New York City on your own, but expert tour guides are always available to give you a whole new perspective on the five boroughs. Plus, they’ll ensure that your trip is an experience you’ll never forget. Here are some of our favorite tour options for spring.

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1. Noshwalks

Why you should take it now: This tour company will make sure you take advantage of NYC’s unmatched depth and breadth of world cuisine, with specific itineraries of neighborhoods and restaurants where New Yorkers dine. Chinese, Italian, Yemeni, Cambodian and Colombian are just some of the cuisines that are highlighted.

2. New York Beer and Brewery Tour

Why you should take it now: Spring brings weather that’s a perfect complement to enoying a refreshing beer, and this tour includes an overview of NYC’s brewing history (Brooklyn was once a titan of the industry) and its burgeoning craft-beer scene.

3. Yankee Stadium

Why you should take it now: Baseball season begins in spring, and Yankee Stadium is home to the 27-time World Series champion Bronx Bombers. This tour takes you to must-see spots like the stadium’s on-site museum and Monument Park—and, schedule willing, behind the scenes into the clubhouse or onto the field.

Citi Field. Photo: Jen Davis

4. Citi Field

Why you should take it now: Baseball fans will also want to check out the Mets’ home ballpark, Citi Field, in Queens. The guides on this tour will bring you into the press box, the bullpen and the dugout. You’ll even get onto the field where Jacob deGrom and the rest of the Mets play.

Bike Rent NYC. Courtesy, TechsavyNYC. Photo: Mark Derho

5. Bike Rent NYC—Central Park Bike Tours

Why you should take it now: Spring is a great time to explore NYC on two wheels. Bike Rent NYC makes it easy to pedal through Central Park—and see its sights and spring blooms—on a guided itinerary.

Courtesy, NY Adventure Club. Photo: Corey William Schneider

6. New York Adventure Club

Why you should take it now: This tour promises participants access to hidden corners of the City. Whether you’re interested in Edwin Booth’s former bedroom, the history of the New York City subway system or the animals of the Staten Island Zoo, their eclectic selection of tours is likely to present you with a unique experience.

Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy. Photo: Lori Weissman

7. Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy

Why you should take it now: This organization runs tours focused on Jewish landmarks of the Lower East Side but also offers access and insight into places all over Manhattan. Visit the Upper West Side synagogue that houses America’s oldest Jewish congregation, see vestiges of Jewish Harlem and explore a range of topics related to Jewish immigrant life.

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Rockefeller Center Tour. Courtesy, Top of the Rock

8. Rockefeller Center Tour

Why you should take it now: You’ll have an expert show you around one of the City’s most famous attractions, home to public art, television studios, and striking art deco architecture. It’s a place likely to be on your itinerary anyway; this is an opportunity to see it all.

9. Disney on Broadway Behind-the-Scenes Walking Tour

Why you should take it now: This tour will get you caught up on how Disney, the company behind Broadway hits Aladdin and The Lion King, came to be such an important part of the NYC theater landscape. It also grants you a peek at props and costumes (you’ll even be able to handle some and try them on).

Lincoln Center. Photo: Kate Glicksberg

10. Lincoln Center Guided Tours

Why you should take it now: The massive Lincoln Center complex is among the world’s leading performing arts centers­—its 11 institutions include the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Daily tours, which change regularly, may include a visit to the Metropolitan Opera House or a drop-in on an actual rehearsal—but always feature plenty for any culture aficionado to enjoy.

11. Secrets of New York: Insider’s Scavenger Hunt

Why you should take it now: We all want to be in the know, and this new tour from Inside Out is all about hidden details that even the most astute New York visitors may not notice. It’s ideal for the curious traveler who is eager to uncover something off the beaten path.

Courtesy, Waffle Factory Tour

12. Waffle Factory Tour

Why you should take it now: Turnstile Tours will take you to the Brooklyn factory that produces the dough for the City’s popular Wafels & Dinges food trucks. You’ll even get the chance to make a waffle yourself—not only will you have a tasty treat to savor, you’ll have a new skill.

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From Midtown's massive department stores to downtown’s impeccably edited boutiques, shopping in a city known for shopping can seem a bit overwhelming—and that's without mentioning pop-up shops, private showrooms and fleeting sample sales.
Shop Gotham owner Marla Hander introduces the group to showroom basics at M&J Trimming before the tour begins.
We meet guides Kristal Mallookis and Marla Hander (Shop Gotham’s owner) at M&J Trimming—a superstore of spiky studs, buttons, ostrich plumes and sequins—then quickly move on to a sample sale of an Italian brand of accessories in cashmere and leather (held in a classroom-type space on the second floor of a nondescript building), before visiting our first private showroom.
Shoppers scour the racks at our first showroom, where the designer is on hand to offer her personal assistance.
The dark-suited man at the front desk recognizes Marla as we pass through the marble hallway to the gilded elevator that takes us to the fifth floor.
Above: Shoppers get hands-on at the showroom of accessories designer Elizabeth Gillett.
Below: Gillett shares her own scarf story and accessorizing advice.
The second showroom, in a building a few blocks over, belongs to Elizabeth Gillett (one of the few names we are able to mention) and her line of airy scarves and delicate shawls.
The selection at a German-born designer's showroom includes pieces with draping and cutouts.
We then visit the showroom of a German designer, who produces in New York and whom Marla defines as "edgy," before popping into a Stetson sample sale across the street.
A secretive private-label jewelry showroom offers a treasure chest of costume pieces.
Next, we see a supersecret showroom that does private-label costume jewelry production (which means it makes accessories at a brand's request to use on the runway and sell under that name).
The girls enjoyed the ruffle sweater selection at our final stop, while the ladies liked the handbags.
At our final stop, a big personality fills a small showroom.
Tour Tips
• Wear comfortable shoes (it is a walking tour) and an outfit convenient for trying things on (some sales and showrooms lack fitting rooms).
• Come with cash and credit; some sample sales do not take cards.
• Things move along quickly, so be ready to make decisions, and remember, given the nature of the tour, all sales are final.